Online Stores We Have Lost
Text: Maria Limonova
Yesterday the sad information was confirmed: in Russia the import limit for purchases from foreign online stores has been reintroduced. Now any parcel worth over 200 euros sent by a non-state courier service (that is, not Russian Post) will be subject to customs duty coupled with an impassable bureaucracy such as presenting a credit card, with which you, sitting on the couch, bought your cool new shoes. Worse, many online stores, remembering the situation two years ago with massive reversals of packages at customs, simply refused to work with Russia at all. We mourn 10 cool stores that we lost in connection with these innovations, and talk about alternatives to them.
Net-a-porter
Pioneer online shopping, no need to submit. In the assortment - timeless classics and seasonally hits from the designers with the loudest names: Valentino Rockstud bags and shoes, Stella McCartney perfect dresses and jackets, hit from Chinese manufactories - Givenchy prints, wedge Isabel Marant sneakers (although it is possible in this case and rejoice at the lack of delivery if, thanks to this, the girls cutting through Bolshaya Dmitrovka in this masterpiece of shoe design at the ready with a trapezium bag produced by another famous French brand, will be less). In addition, the store constantly updates the category of new brands. Sports t-shirts LPD New York with the names of great designers instead of the names of football clubs. 33 pound Le Specs sunglasses, a mix of boyish cut and Italian femininity - brand No.21 from designer Alessandro Del'Aqua and other more affordable and less played wardrobe items.
At the moment, delivery to the territory of the Russian Federation is completely suspended, but the store team promises to do everything possible to again give us the opportunity to buy hits from the collections of Saint Laurent and Kenzo and sandals of all colors of the rainbow Sophia Webster (part of the designer's collection is presented exclusively on Net-a-porter ) to meet the spring in full uniform.
alternative:Luisa Via Roma, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys, Shoescribe
Theoutnet
Net-a-porter Outlet, offering clothes, shoes and accessories of the same brands as its older brother, but at a much lower price. The program includes things for life (for example, a Stella McCartney tuxedo with a 70% discount, or a Jil Sander beige coat for a quarter of the original cost) and recognizable masthawas from past seasons. The range of the store is updated every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, several times a year are held attractions of generosity called "Clearance" with discounts up to 85%, and with enviable regularity almost all the collections of some big brand are thrown away. At the moment, there is the same announcement on the site about the temporary cessation of delivery and the promise to do everything in their power. We are really looking forward to, as there is probably no outlet with a more adequate assortment and price-speed delivery on the Internet.
ALTERNATIVE: Barneys Warehouse, YOOX, Shoescribe
Shopbop
“This is the ad on the store’s main page. And we are sad, because the advantages of Shopbop can be enumerated almost indefinitely: one of the most convenient interfaces, fast and free (when ordering from $ 100, but who and when could order less) delivery, a huge range of brands and the recently appeared version on Russian language. The most comfortable J Brand basic T-shirts in the world, almost all well-known brands that produce jeans, vintage Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags, combined here under the WGACA Vintage brand, are separate, for our convenience, wedding, basic and gift sections, ugly but necessary for the Russian winter, Sorel boots - all this and much, much more, the store actually delivered in three, and sometimes less, working days. In the Russia Delivery FAQ it is reported that the store is working hard on alternative ways of delivery to the territory of our country. We are waiting for this as much as we expected for the opening of Simachev.
ALTERNATIVE: Bloomingdales, Asos, Luisa Via Roma, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys Revolve, Ebay, Macy's
Moda operandi
A one-of-a-kind online project that allows you to order items from future seasons collections. In addition, there is a shop on the site with a very good mix of big names like Valentino and Marc Jacobs and young, but very promising brands, such as No.21, Mother of Pearl and Josh Goot. At the moment, there are no reports of difficulties with delivery to Russia on the site, but given that the store cooperates with DHL, it will be necessary to wait a little with the order of Walter Steiger shoes. On the other hand, optimists who believe in a bright future are given a great opportunity to test their fortune for strength. At the moment, there are several trunk shows on the site with collections of the pre-fall 2014 season, and by paying 50% of the cost now, for example, Carpen, you can play with customs in fashionable roulette, since you will have to wait for delivery on any day from 15 June to August 15, and in fact no one can predict with certainty the state of affairs in the second half of summer.
ALTERNATIVE: Luisa Via Roma, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shoescribe
Matchesfashion
The online version of the London-based chain of stores offers a selection of well-known brands like Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta with interesting variations on more rare brands. For example, the site contains as many as four lines of the Max Mara brand, a list of not-so-obvious jewelry brands numbers almost 30 names, and you can also find items from the Giambattista Valli couture collection. The site still with confidence gives the option of express delivery to Russia for 12 pounds, but, unfortunately, we know that at this time this option is not available. There is no information about possible alternative delivery methods in the future.
ALTERNATIVE: Luisa Via Roma, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys
Farfetch
A whole fashionable online community, uniting under its roof a large number of different shops on several continents and allowing you to order online from them in just a couple of clicks. The list of brands is divided into three categories: Luxe, Lab and Contemporary, each of which widely presents a huge assortment of creativity of almost all existing designers. At the same time, the unique device of the store gives its customers the opportunity to order a Chloé dress from the DANTE 5 DONNA boutique in the Italian city of Bari, and an Acne sequin shirt from the Browns London multibrand, and get it all in one package. Unfortunately, since Farfetch only works with DHL, these joys of creative online shopping are not available to us now.
ALTERNATIVE: Luisa Via Roma, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys
Late Night Chameleon Cafe
The store at the intersection of art and fashion, "Night Cafe" Chameleon "" offers to our attention carefully selected samples that should be in the collection of every woman of fashion who also pretends to be intellectual. In a small list of brands besides London Lucas Nascimento, French Jacquemus and great Belgian Haider Ackermann appear Lanvin and Givenchy, but here the sample differs significantly from the proposed range of these brands by, for example, Net-a-porter. Buyers LN-CC are betting on noble shades and expressive cut, adding to them Damir Doma shoes and accessories Ann Demeulemeester. The site owners are very sorry for the unfavorable customs conditions and promise to let us know as soon as they can find a replacement for DHL.
ALTERNATIVE: Сreatures of Сomfort
Brownsfashion
The online version of one of the most famous London multibrands, which contains the most interesting samples from the collections of such brands as Azzedine Alaia, Dolce & Gabbana, Kenzo, Dries van Noten and many others. Special attention is given to the range of shoes: there are both Gianvito Rossi pumps and brogues Dr. Lace-trimmed martens and a very wide selection of Laurence Dacade ankle boots. At the moment in the delivery section it is indicated that the site only works with DHL, so order, for example, silver kitten heels Nicholas Kirkwood can only be resorted to by an intermediary.
ALTERNATIVE: Luisa Via Roma, Barneys
My-warderobe
A new collection of Carven, a wide selection of Scandinavian designers (Acne, By Malene Birger, Day Birger Et Mikkelsen, etc.), section London Lab, which combines young British brands (Sophie Hulme, Michael van der Ham and others), where The Singapore brand, Raoul, and a few dozen brands from the affordable luxury segment - there are plenty of reasons to mourn, we hope, the temporary unavailability of this online store. At the moment, the site cooperates only with the company DHL.
ALTERNATIVE: Saks Fifth Avenue
Stylebop
The concept of this store, in principle, is similar to Net-a-porter: Marchesa evening dresses, Balmain jackets and Salvatore Ferragamo classics are worn with Sara Battaglia bags, shoes and accessories designed by stylist Katie Grand for Hogan and London creative from Ostwald Helgason. In the "delivery" section, it is particularly specified how it is important for them that all purchases made by residents of the Russian Federation reach them in beautiful packaging, but unfortunately, now they only use the services of DHL.
ALTERNATIVE: Luisa Via Roma, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys, Shoescribe